Folic acid or Vitamin B9 as it is commonly known is essential to keeping the body healthy. Folic acid once absorbed by the body can help prevent birth defects, helps the body break down and create new proteins, contributes to heart health, remedies some types of depression, and lower your risks for Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancers.
Folic acid enters our bodies through various foods we eat and sometimes through vitamin supplements. However, our bodies cannot use folic acid in its original form, but rather folic acid must go through an absorption process known as Methylation in order to turn the folic acid we consume in what is called L-5 MTHF in order for the cells to absorb this vitamin. This Methylation process is a four step process and a gene known as MTHFR is needed in order for the Methylation process to be completed.
Unfortunately, many people have mutated MTHFR genes that fail to work and therefore cannot break down the folic acid changing it to L-5 MTHF so any folic acid you consume remains in the body and cannot be absorbed by the cells.
The Frequency of MTHFR Mutation
It is believed that as many as 1 out of every 2 Americans have an MTHFR mutation and cannot properly absorb folic acid. There are several causes of these mutations or inhibitors of the Methylation process including:
- Pregnancy
- Alcohol abuse
- Certain diseases such as celiac or liver disease
- Certain types of anemia
- Kidney dialysis
- Certain drugs used to treat other medical conditions
What Happens When You Have Inadequate Levels of L-5 MTHF in your body?
You are probably wondering what happens when you have inadequate levels of MTHF in your body and the fact is that lack of L-5 MTHF can cause you all different types of health issues such as:
- Childhood leukemia
- Colon and Breast cancer
- Increase risk of heart attacks
- Increase risk of diabetes
- Increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and depression
- Inability to remove environmental toxins such as mercury and lead from your body
- And other serious health conditions
What Can I do About Inadequate L-5 MTHF?
Many people who suffer from inadequate L-5 MTHF think that if they increase the amount of folic acid they consume then the body will absorb larger amounts of this acid. Nothing could be further from the truth. The mutated MTHFR gene simply will not allow folic acid to be broken down into L-5 MTHF and all that folic acid will be left floating around in your body and may end up causing more harm than good.
That doesn’t mean there is nothing you can do. There is actually an L-5 MTHF supplement that is basically folic acid that has already gone through the methylation process and is in a state where it can be absorbed by your cells that you can use to increase the levels of L-5mthf in your body. Taking this supplement daily will help you absorb all the folic acid your body needs and help you to maintain better overall health.
